We will not win another game in the foreseeable future UNTIL we approach a game without the thoughts that we are second best. This can only come about with an injection of pace around the better players. Last night we flooded the game with six midfielders but the problem is that they are all slow and laborious both winning the ball and when attacking. Our problems are further exposed because neither full back are actually good enough at defending. The first thought when ANY of our players got the ball other than Clarke Harris is who can i pass back to and so we take one step forward and two back. There are no partnerships anywhere in the team now as Kilgour seems to be playing more right when under GC he was playing left and him and Craig were covering each other well. Menayese is like the Titanic when turning and mistakes waiting to happen.
What the hell do they do in training and I query the fitness coaches because we are anything but fit. The big problem is that fully fit Clarke=Harris is two players but in his present state is just one and needs SUPPORT.
We need to start playing with an attacking mindset and close our opponents down at source in packs rather than like at present where one player goes towards the player with the ball which is then passed and another player then tries to close him down and so it goes on. Each player is going to close down half heartedly because they know they have no support whatsoever from anybody else. You can see whatever energy we do have is being used up chasing shadows almost straight from the kick off.
Now Smith has gone to Rochdale (which is amazing considering he is so say not fit enough to be playing!) we must start by sending back Adeboyejo and pretty well starting again up front. We need two strikers in and quickly. Preferably with a bit of pace. Hargreaves is just not good enough at the present time to be playing and neither is Kelly or Menayese. If THD is not fit enough to start at Left back then he should not be in the squad and the same can be said for Tom Davies. When players come back in the squad they must be fit enough to start.
Rodman must either be told he is a full back or a winger as he has been caught out pretty well every game recently. I may even consider playing him up front at the moment maybe with JCH and Reilly with the three of them working TOGETHER to close down the opposition . Personally when we were defending corners I would push all three up and i am pretty sure the opposition will keep players back to mark them rather than what we have at the moment when 21 players are in our half and when the ball comes out it goes straight to the opposition. For those who say a lot of teams put all their p0layers back for corners- maybe they do but they have a pace advantage over us- we have no pace whatsoever and therefore never break out.
Team for Saturday if no signings
van Stappershoef
Davies
Kilgour
Craig
Rodman
Barratt
Ollie Clarke
Sercombe
Holmes-Dennis
Clarke-Harris
Reilly
id prefer to be going 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 but without a ptoper right back it would be very difficult. UTG